Created in response to a “core shift” in education policy over the last two decades, the Johns Hopkins School of Education’s new Master of Science in Education Policy won approval in November from the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Developed by faculty of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, the 33-credit program will be delivered in an online format—along with a unique, five-day residency in Washington, D.C. The program’s cohort-based model is planned to launch in summer 2021 with the residency and its foundational course Introduction to Education Policy.
“This is a timely program for the School of Education,” says Dean Christopher C. Morphew. “With the Institute for Education Policy’s sterling reputation and national impact, and Johns Hopkins’ growing footprint in the nation’s capital, we are well-positioned to deliver a world-class program in educational policy.”
In U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings of graduate schools of education, Johns Hopkins was recognized among the Best Education Policy Programs—even before offering the degree program.
As yet the only online master’s degree in education policy offered by a top graduate school of education, the program will appeal to a range of education professionals, preparing them for leadership roles in school districts, nonprofits, think tanks, municipal and legislative offices, and other areas.
“The need for effectively prepared, highly informed education policy leaders has never been greater,” says David Steiner, the institute’s executive director and a former New York State commissioner of education. “This pandemic has revealed gaping, systemic failures in education that cry out for more effective policy—locally and globally. Beyond a faculty selected from within Johns Hopkins and across the nation for its expertise in both research and policy practice, the online model offers a clear advantage in bringing together talented, motivated students.”
Steiner expects the program to admit a maximum of 25 students next summer. Studying within a tight-knit cohort, full-time students can finish the 33-credit program in one year, with the option of taking an additional three-credit internship in education policy.
“We’re looking for a special blend of commitment and savvy,” Steiner says. “Navigating the increasingly complex landscape of education policy requires an evidence-rich background on the issues, a firm command of the research, and a knack for finding common interests in the real world of contested educational values.”
The Master of Science in Education Policy is the latest in a series of recent accomplishments for the institute. In the past year, the institute’s leadership has contributed its expertise on education and COVID-19 for UNESCO, the World Bank, and major national membership organizations; piloted and released School Culture 360TM, a research tool that helps schools align mission with practice; added social studies to its first-in-the-nation ELA curriculum-analysis tool, the Knowledge MapTM; and produced a definitive analysis of the CARES Act for those in the education field.
